Yeah, I'm pretty sure we have either possums or rats in the attic space as well. No easy access to look, but they're pretty loud. I'm wary of rat poison given the dead-in-walls smell that often results, not to mention the potential to affect my own animals, but I'm getting close to being willing to take the risk.

Cereal:

I am trying to get one more burst of motivation to deal with the final house details. I still need to:

• vacuum the living room rug
• put the clean duvet cover on the duvet in the guest room
• go through the ginormous pile of junk mail on the dining room table to sort into keep and recycle piles

I could probably get all of that done in 15-30 minutes. I just have to start.

That sounds completely achievable. And remember, she's here to visit. You don't have to win any housekeeping awards, just make things comfortable.

pix, that is totally gross and a very valid reaction. Ew! I would totally freak out.

Java, yay for less crazy commute and for liking your job!

I am so fed up with my job. They're asking for a ton of work that is not usually under my job description, which I wouldn't mind if (a) they were things that would help my manager/look good for promotion, or (b) I wasn't already completely swamped doing the normal parts of my job. Argh. The thing is, I want a promotion at this company, but feel like I'm killing myself and still doing a half-ass shitty job. I hate feeling bad at my job, but I feel like I just can't win. It's making me crazy. And driving other people nuts too, because they need me to do these things, and I keep having to say "no, havent had a cha CW to get to that yet....". But lord--this week gone mon-thurs, next week leave the house at 4:30am tuesday and get back at 8am Saturday...not sure when I'm supposed to do my regular job, much less other parts!!

Thanks for all the support, y'all. I had another talk with her, and she is doing okay. she didn't want to tell my youngest brother, so I did that and it went fine. I think the biggest hurdle coming up is my other brother, who is ready to jump on a plane from Lomdon and force her to go to a lot of doctors and find someone who will give her chemo or whatever. She had already decided that she would not get chemo, and was very glad that the doctor told her it was not indicatedin her case.

Scrappy, I am very sorry. I hope she's not in any discomfort and can have that pep and enjoyment for a long time to come. If there is anything I can do, or just listen, I am here.

I actually feel like I can, in specific circumstances, understand not wanting to do chemo. It is just so brutal and can end up causing more harm than even potential good in the elderly or otherwise weakened. I'm really grateful that no doctor tried to push it for my dad because that would have been an awful conversation with my stepmom.

but basically my brother is awesome.

He really is.

I could probably get all of that done in 15-30 minutes. I just have to start.

This is me and the last 5% of unpacking. But I did get a big chunk down today. Like, um, putting together bookcases that I bought after Thanksgiving. I am hoping that it was only last Thx and not the year before. Ugh. I wish you motivation.

Lawrence Fishburne is awesomesauce in Matrix. Keanu is just whoa. And not always in a good way. But the rest of this movie is totally worth my watching again.

She had already decided that she would not get chemo, and was very glad that the doctor told her it was not indicated in her case.

It's hard but I am glad that she's able to determine her own course of treatment. I hope your brother can accept this too.

So... tom is up because he's having trouble breathing. He originally said that his chest hurt, but now seems to have identified the side/rib area where he fell as the point of soreness. I had him take a gas-x (he drank way more soda than usual today, and there was dome belching) and an ativan (after quick reasearch indicates they are not contra-indicated.)

I sm so tired and worried. What if it's s heart attack???

Scrappy, will your older brother respect your mother's wishes? I hope so. None of you need that stress.

What if it's s heart attack???

Has he had a history of cardiac related symptoms? Has he had any cardiac tests? Does the trouble breathing ease off if he moves to a different position? Does he have aches in his joints?

Even if it is a heart attack, if he's otherwise healthy and it's minor--there are such things--he will probably come out of it OK.

Scary as hell, I know. But Hubby has single handedly raised the survival rate for heart attacks in our county. It's not necessarily the utterly catastrophic thing it could be.